A week after being honored for his “outstanding work, dedication, and commitment” at the City of Gainesville T.E.A.M. Awards Ceremony, Christopher Bivins, a police officer in Gainesville, was arrested for allegedly strangling his ex after breaking into her apartment, according to an arrest affidavit from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office.
Fox35 reports that Bivins was taken into custody and charged with grand theft, criminal mischief, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, and domestic battery by strangulation.
Before the alleged incident, Bivins and his ex, with whom he has a child, were partying at Simons Nightclub, according to the outlet. Per the arrest document, the 25-year-old woman received a text from Bivins stating that he was at the same nightclub. He even paid for an area of the club for her and her friends to enjoy a “pleasant evening.”
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The young woman claimed they exited the club on opposite routes, but she received repeated calls from the front gate of her apartment complex, indicating that someone was attempting to enter. According to deputies, Bivins does not live in this apartment and does not have the authority to be there.
Upon reaching her apartment, she spotted Bivins’ black truck parked on the other side of the street. The report also mentioned that her front door was open and had been damaged. Additionally, she complained to deputies that her home was in “disarray.”
When she challenged Bivins about his presence in her residence without her permission, he “took control of (her) neck and dragged her to the floor on her back against her will,” according to the report. Bivins allegedly kneeled over her while she was on her back and strangled her until she nearly passed out.
“I saw stars,” she told deputies, adding that she thought about her child and said she was going to “lose her life for nothing.”
When he released his grip and moved back, she got up, retrieved her car keys, and escaped to her mother’s residence in Gilchrist County, according to the affidavit.
When she got back to her flat, the woman said that several of her personal belongings had been thrown over the balcony and that she was unable to locate several gadgets, including her AirPods, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.
After locating Bivins, police took him into custody. Despite acknowledging that he had met the woman at the club, he noted that he had been highly intoxicated at the time. He also claimed to have parked his pickup across the street from her apartment but had no recollection of stepping inside.
Fox35 reported last week that the status of Bivins’ bond is unknown, although he was booked into the Alachua County Jail. According to a Gainesville Police Department Facebook post, Bivins was named “Officer of the Month” in August.
